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Supporters of Uber Boston Create Petition to Keep Innovate Service Running in Town

A day after Uber Boston announced it had received a cease and desist from state officials due to regulatory conflict with their metering system, riders that frequently call on the deluxe traveling service to get around town created a petition to keep Uber running while continuing to foster innovation in the Hub.

“The Commonwealth is stifling innovation by issuing a cease & desist against Uber…Consumers want Uber…Further, if Boston is to continue to be a hot bed of start ups and innovation, we need to provide an environment where new ideas and business models can take root,” according to the petition, which was created and posted on Change.org on Wednesday.

The petition blasted the Division of Standards of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for telling Uber to recently stop operations.

BostInno reader Ben Bates posted the petition on the BostInno story from Tuesday, which outlined the problems Uber is currently dealing with in Cambridge and the Hub.

Already, 25 people have signed on to support the company and their cause.

“The Commonwealth should invest their efforts in improving Taxi/Cab regulations & hold them accountable for tardiness, rude & inappropriate behavior instead of getting rid of Uber,” wrote Nelly Carreno underneath the petition.

Jonathan Bingham also showed his support by saying Uber is “a tremendous asset to the city.”

“As a customer I believe that the [service] is worth every penny,” he said.

Others said they feel safer taking Uber over a traditional cab service and “it would be an embarrassment to the greater Boston area’s reputation as a world class city to stifle innovation and free competition in this manner.”

On Tuesday, representatives from the company posted a statement on their blog, along with an order from the state’s Division of Standards that said “until the National Institute of Standards and Technology has guidelines in place for GPS location technology,” the company cannot provide their application to the public.

Uber uses a smartphone app and GPS devices to charge customers using the service, which doesn’t jive, according to state officials, with what is on the books.

According to a ruling by the Commonwealth, “only approved devices can be used in commercial transactions” and “the use of the unapproved GPS  systems to assess transportation charges must be discontinued.”

But despite the cease and desist, Uber representatives said they would keep supplying rides to their customers.

“It is our strong belief that the technology and service we offer does not violate existing law and regulations,” according to Uber representatives.

On Wednesday, city officials said they plan on meeting with the company to talk about the issues.

“We continue to support new ideas and look forward to working with anyone who’s developing new ways to help our residents and visitors,” said Mayor Thomas  Menino in a statement to BostInno.

from BostInno http://bostinno.com/2012/08/15/uber-boston-petition/